Week 14 kicked off with the Pittsburgh Steelers visiting the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night. The Vikings started hot, jumping out to a 23-0 lead at halftime. The Steelers battled back though to bring the game to a one-possession game. On Pittsburgh’s last drive, Chase Claypool made a catch for 9 yards which resulted in a first round. Instead of hurrying back to the huddle to get another play-off, Claypool decided to celebrate, which ran some precious seconds off for the Steelers. In the end, the Steelers came up short, as Minnesota won 36-28. Dalvin Cook had a monster game with 205 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the Vikings to victory.
The already hobbled Baltimore Ravens took on division rival Cleveland Browns in Week 14. Early in the game, Lamar Jackson exited the game with a sprained ankle. The Ravens went down 24-3 in the second quarter. Ravens backup Tyler Huntley led the Ravens with 16 unanswered points, but it was too little, too late. The Cleveland Browns escaped with a 24-22 win.
This week, the Raiders tried to avenge their 41-14 loss earlier this season vs. the Chiefs. They stood on the Chiefs logo at midfield for their pregame team speech, and it did not go well for them at all. Patrick Mahomes was surgical, completing 20/24 passes for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Las Vegas turned the ball over five times, which was the recipe for failure. Kansas City cruised to a 48-9 victory, which is their sixth in a row.
The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Football team met for the first time this season for a big division game. With the offense struggling, the Cowboys’ defense stepped up mightily. Rookie Micah Parsons continues his historic season with another two sacks, as well as a forced fumble that led to a Dallas touchdown. A late Dak Prescott mistake almost allowed the WTF back into the game, but they came up short. Dallas won the game 27-20., as they improve to 9-4 on the season.
The Seattle Seahawks have had a tumultuous season so far, but when you play the Houston Texans, things seem to get a little easier. The Seahawks fed Rashaad Penny, with 16 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Lockett made five receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown. The Seahawks rolled past the Texans 33-13.
The Jacksonville Jaguars subpar play continued against the Tennesee Titans. Trevor Lawrence’s rookie season has been less than optimal this season, and this week was no different. Trevor Lawrence threw 221 yards with four interceptions. The Jaguars only generated 8 total rushing yards as well. The Titans haven’t been the same since Derrick Henry went down, but still wins this game 20-0.
The Tayson Hill project gets another installment this week vs. the New York Jets. Hill threw for 175 yards as well as 73 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Alvin Kamara also made a return to the field after missing the last month due to injury. Kamara hit the ground running, figuratively and literally, finishing the game with 27 carries for 120 yards and one touchdown. The Saints end their losing streak with a 30-9 victory.
The Atlanta Falcons faced off against the Carolina Panthers this week. The Panthers’ offense still has yet to find some consistency and continuity, and it showed vs. the Falcons. QB Cam Newton hasn’t seemed to find a good rhythm as well, and he was benched for P.J. Walker in the game. The Falcons won the game 29-21, as the Panthers’ struggles continue.
After the tragic news of former Denver Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas’s passing, the Denver community had heavy hearts Sunday. They made a special ode to Thomas by starting the game with just ten players to honor him. As the game went on, the Broncos dominated Detroit, as they rolled to a 38-10 win.
The Los Angeles Chargers try to gain some late momentum in the season as they make a playoff push vs. the New York Giants. Justin Herbert led the Chargers’ dynamic offense with 275 yards passing and three touchdowns on the day. The Giants did all they could to try to stop LA, but they had no answer. The Chargers won 37-21 and improve to an 8-5 record.
The San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals game proved to be a classic game this week. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Joe Burrow lit the field up with the passing attack. Burrow threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns, while Jimmy G finished with 296 and two scores. George Kittle reminded everyone that he still is one of the best pass-catching tight ends the NFL has to offer, as he finished 13 catches for 151 yards and one touchdown. The biggest play of the game came on a pass to Brandon Aiyuk with just a few seconds left in the game. Aiyuk made an amazing play, tip-toeing the sideline into the endzone and making a great effort to reach over the goal line. The 49ers won 26-23 and are making a big push for the playoffs.
The Buffalo Bills are also in the hunt for the playoffs and looked to right the ship against the defending champion Tampa Bay Bucs. Josh Allen had to carry a huge load of the Bills offense, as he threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns while running for 109 yards and one touchdown. Leonard Fournette’s level of play has been rising over the weeks, and this week he ran for 113 yards and one touchdown. The Bucs jumped out to a 24-3 lead by halftime, but Buffalo stormed back to force OT. Unfortunately for the Bills, Tom Brady once again made a great play by passing to a streaking Breshad Perriman who took the pass 58 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The Bucs now improve to 10-3 with the 33-27 win over the Bills.
Early this season when the Packers and Bears faced off, Aaron Rodgers screamed to the Chicago crowd saying “I Still Own You!”, after he scored a touchdown. Well, nothing has changed since then. Sunday night, Rodgers put on a clinic, completing 29/37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. Davante Adams was the beneficiary of Rodger’s stellar play, per usual, as he caught ten passes for 121 yards for two touchdowns. Chicago did have a great first half, but the Packers showed why they’re arguably the most complete team in the NFL by shutting down Chicago and still scoring easily. The final score was 45-30.
Week 14 ended with the Los Angeles Rams facing off against the Arizona Cardinals. With Jalen Ramsey and Tyler Higbee out of lineup, players had to fill huge shoes in order for the Rams to win. On the offensive side, Cooper Kupp was dominant, as he has been throughout this entire season. Kupp caught 13 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. Odell Beckham Jr. also caught six passes for 77 yards and one touchdown. This is the third game in a row Odell has scored a touchdown as well, which doesn’t reflect goof on #6 in Cleveland. For the Cardinals, Kyler Murray threw for 383 yards, but didn’t throw any passing touchdowns. The Rams shorten the gap for the lead in the NFC West with a 30-23 win, as they improve to 9-4.